302 WOULD I WEBB A BOY AGAIN. 



* 



" ' Willy/ said the little girl, as they sat down on the low 

 railing of the grass plats, to^breathe for a moment, and 

 listen to the chirrup and songs of the birds in the boughs 

 above them, ' Willy, wouldn't you like to be a little bird ? ' 



" ' A little bird, Lizzie,' replied her brother. ' Why should 

 I like to be a little bird?' 



" ' Oh, to fly around among the branches and the leaves 

 upon the trees,' said Lizzie, ' and among the blossoms when 

 the morning is warm, and the sun comes out bright and 

 clear in the sky. Oh ! they are so happy.' 



" ' But the mornings aint always warm, and the sun don't 

 always come up bright and clear in the sky, Lizzy,' said her 

 brother, ' and the leaves and blossoms aint always on the 

 trees. The cold storms and the winter come and kill the 

 blossoms and scatter the leaves, and what would you do 

 then ? I shouldn't like to be a bird, but I should like to be 

 a big strong man like father.' 



" ' Please tell me what time it is ? ' said the little boy, 

 addressing me. 



" I told him, and he turned to his little sister, saying, 

 ' Come, Lizzie, we must go ; mother said we must be home 

 by half-after seven, and it's most that now ;' and he put his 

 arm lovingly around her neck, and she put hers around his 

 waist, and they walked away towards home, talking about 

 the leaves and the blossoms on the trees, the merry little 

 birds, the bright sunshine, and the pleasant time they had 

 had in the park that morning. 



" It was a pleasant thing to see those two little children, 



